Elmore James

This 19-track compilation focuses on Elmore James' crucial sessions recorded for the Modern Records subsidiaries Meteor and Flair between 1952 and 1956. At the time of these recordings, the distorted amplified sound of James' slide guitar with his unmistakable electrified Robert Johnson lick was helping map out the postwar blues idiom with such classics as "I Believe," "Blues Before Sunrise," "Wild About You," "Mean & Evil," and the extraordinary reworking of Robert Johnson's "Dust My Broom" into "Dust My Blues." Even though roughly half of these tracks appear on the equally recommended 1986 Ace release Let's Cut It: The Very Best of Elmore James, this set is a great introduction to the dynamic slide guitarist's earliest recordings.

Elmore James Jr., son of the great Elmore James, is an accomplished and masterful Chicago blues singer, slide guitarist, and former rock & roll drummer. Second CD for Wolf Records, titled Old School Lover, is one of the best traditional Chicago blues albums of 2012. Includes six new songs and six traditional tunes in the Chicago blues style. Features Eddie Taylor Jr., Ed Williams, and Illinois Slim.

Elmore James Jr., son of the great Elmore James, is an accomplished and masterful Chicago blues singer, slide guitarist, and former rock & roll drummer. Second CD for Wolf Records, titled Old School Lover, is one of the best traditional Chicago blues albums of 2012. Includes six new songs and six traditional tunes in the Chicago blues style. Features Eddie Taylor Jr., Ed Williams, and Illinois Slim.

Since the release of his first CD, Elmore James, Jr. has won a Living Blues award, been touring more frequently, and is firmly establishing his own style of electric modern blues in his dad's image. This album with his backup band, the Broomdusters, shows he's much more than just a chip off the ol' block, as his slide guitar work sounds more distinctively like Elmore James, while his voice is not as rough and tumble. He's also more assertive as a songwriter, but is ever mindful of the tradition by covering famous songs from the classic Chicago blues repertoire. There's a sense of value and purpose heard on every track, as James, Jr. grows with confidence on several levels, making for a solid effort that one can go back to for repeat listenings.

Former radio repairman Elmore James spent a good deal of time re-wiring his amplifiers, giving him a raw, distorted, and urgent sound on electric guitar that, coupled with his killer slide style, made him the Godfather of modern electric guitar, and few gunslingers can match his intensity or powerful, dirty sound (even when armed with a train-load of stomp boxes). This intriguing disc packages late sessions James did for Bobby Robinson's Fire imprint, including fine versions of "Sunnyland Train" and "Standing at the Crossroads," which features James' signature roaring slide guitar sound, a force of nature that will forever be his calling card.

An intensely powerful singer and guitarist, Elmore James did not start his recording career until he was 33, and he only lived to be 45, but he made a very strong impact during his dozen years on records. Some of his finest work was cut for the Fire label during 1959-1961, roughly half of which is included on this single CD. Other than a final outburst of selections during February 1963, these were James' last studio sessions, and he is heard at the peak of his powers throughout. Among the best-known performances are the hit "Shake Your Moneymaker," "The Sky Is Crying," and a remake of his famous "Dust My Broom," but all 16 selections are full of passion and fire. This is an essential acquisition for blues collectors, at least until a more complete James on Fire reissue comes out.